Just before Jay Carney began his daily White House press briefing session today, President Obama made an unusual appearance before the assembled reporters. The New York Daily News reports: White House Press Secretary Jay Carney is stepping down, President Obama announced Friday in a surprise statement at the start of Carney's daily press briefing. Carney, who said he planned to leave in mid-June, will be replaced by Josh Earnest, a deputy press secretary. Obama praised Carney for his "good heart" and "temperament" as he dealt with the media since he replaced Robert Gibbs as the White House's chief spokesman in early 2011. "I'm going to miss him a lot," Obama added. Two thoughts occur to me in evaluating the move. One is that Carney has looked increasingly stressed as he was pressed daily to defend the indefensible, evade questions, and otherwise cover the president’s derriere. He holds a high-pressure job that has...(Read Full Post)